Kyler Murray will be one of the most fascinating offseason storylines. He was the first overall pick in 2019, and he's been pretty good despite an overall bad situation with the Arizona Cardinals. But everyone involved has to face the reality: Murray is not an elite quarterback, and he's already on an expensive contract.

It wouldn't be absurd in normal circumstances if the Cardinals kept him. But considering that Arizona is slated to have the second overall pick, the roster-building timeline, and that the leadership group that drafted Murray is gone, it's easy to see them parting ways.

Nevertheless, Kyler Murray is still a valuable piece. He will be 27 by the start of next season, and he would be a manageable salary for an acquiring team — $38.85 million in 2024, $32.6 million in 2025, $42.5 million in 2026, $36.3 million in 2027, and $46.35 million in 2028. Moreover, the new team would have structure flexibility to move money around.

Therefore, in the Cardinals specific case, it makes sense to move on. But another with needing a quarterback and without such a clear path to acquire one might be willing to give up draft compensation and absorb Murray's deal to have a decent long-term option at quarterback.

So, let's evaluate five teams that could acquire Kyler Murray next year.

Washington Commanders

Washington is in quarterback purgatory since letting Kirk Cousins walk in free agency. They've tried an established veteran (Alex Smith), a first-rounder (Dwayne Haskins), a couple of bridge options (Ryan Fitzpatrick, Carson Wentz), and some development players (Taylor Heinicke, Sam Howell). Nothing has worked.

Now, the team will most likely move on from head coach Ron Rivera and general manager Martin Mayhew. So the new leadership group, paired with new owner Josh Harris, will try a new path. Right now, they have the third overall pick, so the answer could be Jayden Daniels, for example. But another path is Kyler, a more established option — and that probably wouldn't cost them that much.

The Commanders are projected to have $81.7 million in cap space in 2024, so money wouldn't be a problem.

New England Patriots

Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe are clearly not the answer for the Patriots. They have the fourth overall pick after beating the Denver Broncos, so the draft might not be a realistic path either. With or without Bill Belichick, New England will need a new signal-caller. This is another team that has tried different paths (a veteran in Cam Newton, a first-rounder in Jones).

Initially, it looked like Jones could be a decent answer, but a series of bad roster and coaching staff moves by Belichick hindered the quarterback's development — and, to be fair, his ceiling was never that high.

The Patriots have $74.3 million in projected cap space for 2024, so they would have the option to trade for Murray and still be a viable contender to add top free agents to build around the quarterback.

Las Vegas Raiders

Another team that will change leadership. Maybe interim GM Champ Kelly and interim head coach Antonio Pierce keep their jobs, but they or the new leaders would probably look for avenues to improve from rookie Aidan O'Connell. Releasing Jimmy Garoppolo would free up even more space, and they are projected to have $51.86 million anyway.

With a veteran roster with weapons like Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, it makes sense for the Raiders to look for a more experienced passer.

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons built their roster through offensive weapons. They drafted tight end Kyle Pitts, wide receiver Drake London, and running back Bijan Robinson, all in the top 8 of the draft over the last three years. But the lack of a decent quarterback option made everything feel hard, and they are just the 24th offense in the NFL by DVOA. It's clear that neither Desmond Ridder nor Taylor Heinicke is the answer.

Currently, they are projected to have the 10th pick in the draft, and with a coaching staff on the hot seat, it's difficult to foresee them going with a rookie.

With that in mind, the trade route makes more sense. Justin Fields could be an option here as well, but Arthur Smith has indicated that he values a good processor at the quarterback position, and Murray is a much more accomplished passer.

Minnesota Vikings

Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is smart at looking for devalued assets. Even though the organization clearly likes Kirk Cousins, they have to understand he will be 36 in August, has a track record of being a tough negotiator, and will be coming back from a major Achilles injury.

Long-term, Murray is a cheaper and better option, even though Cousins could be better in 2024 and already knows the system. The Vikings are projected to have the 15th overall pick, so Murray could be the best option to keep the competitive rebuild Adofo-Mensah has preached.

Honorable mentions: Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (if they don't keep Baker Mayfield).

Cardinals share emotional video of Kyler Murray’s recovery trajectory

Quarterback is ready to play after 11 months